Personal Touch Home Care Of Ohio to Pay $35,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
Company Fired Employee Because of Renal and Respiratory Conditions, Federal Agency Charged
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hamilton, Ohio-based home health care services provider Personal Touch Home Care, with 50 locations in 13 states, will pay $35,000 and furnish other remedial relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC's suit, Personal Touch fired Pamula Calfee because of her disabilities: renal failure, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. Calfee had worked for Personal Touch since 2000 and had no problems performing her job even with her disabilities.
Such alleged conduct violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No.1:11-c v-00042-SJD) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Cincinnati Division after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement
Personal Touch consented to a two-year consent decree in which it agreed to pay $35,000 in compensation and also agreed to provide training to all of its supervisors and managers in its Southwest Ohio region concerning disability discrimination.
"Treating an employee badly based on a physical impairment violates the very core of the ADA, and the EEOC will continue to fight for the rights of disability discrimination victims," said Laurie Young, regional attorney for the EEOC's Indianapolis District Office.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency's website at www.eeoc.gov.